Frozen Nostalgia

(Note: Kevin and I considered doing a Best Movies of 2013 post before the Oscars, but alas we didn’t see everything and therefore couldn’t really comment on whether 12 Years A Slave was a better movie than Gravity. However, we think it’s still worth posting reviews of some of our favorite movies from last year, so over the next couple of weeks we’ll be talking about some films we admired in 2013. Enjoy!)

As I sat in a full theater watching the animated film, Frozen, I realized that I was experiencing a nostalgic moment of escape. I was having fun without a worry in the world. It occurred to me how rare it is that a film can snap me out of reality.

My love for movies developed when I was a child. Back then everything on the big screen was breathtaking, unique and amazing.

Except, Titanic, I hated that movie. Yes even as a kid I was a critic.

As I grow I realize that some of the magic is wearing off. I start to wonder why this phenomenon occurs. Most people would say my brain is maturing but that is obviously not right. Maybe it is the daily grind of my dull real world job making it difficult for me to get lost in a story. But if that were the case wouldn’t I want to escape my mundane existence even more?

My theory is that our culture is spoiled. The market is over saturated with great films, stories, television shows, books and many other, endless forms of entertainment. My Netflix queue is bursting at the seams, my backlog of video games to catch up on is infinite, and my bookshelf is sagging from my unread books. We have so many options to lose ourselves in imaginary worlds that we have to choose to lose ourselves in the real world.

I came up with this theory as I was walking out of Frozen. Two hours earlier I had walked into the film with only one quick viewing of the muted trailer. This is quite rare for me as I am a regular obsessor over upcoming films. Generally before I see a movie I have been reading about production, watching trailers, looking at leaked images and reading multiple reviews for months. This time I managed to avoid nearly all marketing and articles about the film. Maybe I turned my brain off when a trailer about two Disney princesses came on my television. Or perhaps all of the websites I read showed no interest in the movie. I am definitely not the ideal demographic (20 some male with no children) so maybe they weren’t advertising where I would see them.

This is part of the reason why I was so impressed with this movie. I came into with absolutely no expectations and left feeling giddy like a child. The animation, the singing, the story, the unique ending, I loved it all and I spent a good two weeks recommending it to everyone I spoke with.

That is why I am making my review short and sweet. In our age of Twitter and endless entertainment it is rare to have an experience like I did. I don’t want to give too much away and I don’t want to have an impact on your viewing. Just go see the movie and let yourself get swept up in the magic.